


Pretty Face

by ABrighterDarkness



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Dates, Flirting, Frottage, Laughter, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers, Semi-Public Sex, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark-centric, Tuxedos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:13:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27703960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABrighterDarkness/pseuds/ABrighterDarkness
Summary: This wasn’t how he’d thought the evening would go.It was unexpected in its entirety, from start to... well, not exactly finish, because it still wasn’t over yet.
Relationships: Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53
Collections: 2020 Captain America/Iron Man Holiday Exchange





	Pretty Face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GotTheSilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotTheSilver/gifts).



This wasn’t how he’d thought the evening would go. 

It was unexpected in its entirety, from start to... well, not exactly finish, because it still wasn’t over yet. 

The Holiday Gala hosted by the Maria Stark Foundation was just another thing on the long list of things that Tony knew he  _ had _ to do, but couldn’t quite bring himself to look forward to doing. He’d never enjoyed those things, not really. Despite what his carefully crafted public persona would and did lead many to believe, Tony didn’t particularly care for evenings full of sycophantic smiles and fake well-wishes. 

Though he could pretend like the best of them. 

But they were  _ boring. _ There were countless other things that Tony could be wasting his time on. There were always things that needed to be crafted up and dreamed into reality. Things to let his mind get lost in, problems to be solved, glitches to be chased down and eliminated. 

Were it any other event, Tony likely would have come up with a long list of excuses and worked through every single one until he found a way out of having to attend. Or at the very least, found a way to leave shortly after arriving. Not this one though. His father had left many legacies; his mother had left just this one. Tony wasn’t about to let it fail due to his own hubris.

That left him in a quandary, though. Tony would attend, there was no getting out of it. The real problem, then, was that it was expected that he would arrive with a date of some sort. Generally, it was whichever person happened to be the lucky draw, and Tony was always bored to tears within the first five minutes. It was bad enough that he spent the majority of these things surrounded by people that didn’t give a damn about anything but the tax write-off that donating to the Foundation would give them. 

So he was a little bitter. It happened to the best of them.

He had spent the weeks leading up to the Gala grumbling under his breath about the whole thing, which inevitably led to those around him getting an earful of his current predicament. How hard was it to find a date for just one night who wasn’t bone-dry in the personality department?

His saving grace came in the form of Natasha, who had volunteered her friend for the job. Or at least, he assumed she had simply volunteered him. Tony had met Steve a few times. Mostly in passing at one group function or another, though their interactions had been mostly limited to polite greetings each time. 

Tony wasn’t entirely sold on the idea. 

Sure the big guy qualified as eye-candy in every definition of the word, but Tony was perfectly capable of finding a date that fit that definition as well. He had spent years doing exactly that. While that was fine and dandy on its own, Tony was aiming for a little more than just a pretty face.

But Natasha had repeatedly referred to the man as her  _ friend.  _ Tony was well aware of how notoriously rare it was for Natasha to place anyone in that particular category. It was reasonable to assume, then, that Steve Rogers had more going for him than the pretty face. 

And, if Natasha was to be believed, Steve was perfectly in agreement with Natasha’s plan. To be fair, that wasn’t entirely surprising. Tony had more than one person on his arm at events like this who were entirely too eager to be exactly there. 

Natasha had been insistent and Steve in agreement, so Tony figured that it couldn’t hurt to play along, at least. He was sure that if all else failed, he could dig up his mental list of excuses and leave early.

With resigned reluctance  —  and more curiosity than he would admit aloud  —  Tony sent word to have Steve fitted for a gala-appropriate tuxedo, but was more than happy to let Natasha handle coordinating the rest. Tony just settled himself with low expectations, as was usual for these events. He didn’t particularly like how much that seemed to amuse Natasha.

The night of the gala started off fairly normal in their interactions. Steve had smiled, wide and seemingly genuine, and extended a hand in greeting. “It’s good to see you again, Tony,” he had said politely.

Tony found himself having to swallow down a whole host of inappropriate thoughts that wanted to escape as he accepted the warm handshake and returned the greeting. He’d known, objectively speaking, that Natasha’s friend was about as attractive as they came. He hadn’t stopped to think about what that would mean when Steve was dressed in formals that were tailored to fit him like a glove. 

“Yeah, you too,” Tony responded awkwardly. “And, uh, thanks. For this. You know, coming along to the Gala.”

Steve smiled and shrugged as he withdrew his hand. “It’s not a problem, glad I could help,” he said sincerely. And then the smile turned to a small, almost sly smirk and he added, “Besides, I learned a long time ago that arguing with Natasha when she’s got something decided is bad for one’s health.”

Tony grinned in return. He was quite familiar with that particular personality trait as well. 

Later, as they mingled side-by-side at the Gala, Tony could admit that it was likely the most fun he’d had at one of these things in years. And it had only a little bit to do with the warm hand that rested at the small of his back as though glued in place. 

Once the initial awkwardness wore off, Steve kept a nearly constant running commentary on the various guests in attendance. Had there been fewer cameras and watching eyes, Tony would have been in tears at the steady stream of smart-assed observations Steve made, each delivered in a dry tone and a small smirk that no doubt hid a shit-eating grin. As it was, there were a few times when Tony didn’t quite manage to bite back the rush of startled laughter at one particularly apt remark or another. 

Steve all but radiated smugness each of those times. Tony found it simultaneously endearing and maddening.

Steve somehow seemed to have a keen ability to distinguish which of the guests Tony was more or less comfortable engaging with, and which ones Tony would avoid at all costs if it were possible. Steve stepped away to get drinks only when Tony was with people of the former category, and returned promptly to Tony’s side with a small smile. But when Tony was greeted by the latter, Steve didn’t budge, and his warm hand curled around Tony’s waist, easing him into Steve’s side in a way that felt both possessive and protective. He was certain that the gesture shouldn’t be nearly as comforting as it was.

“That was… pleasant,” Steve muttered, carefully maneuvering them through the mass of people. He hadn’t withdrawn his arm from Tony’s waist this time, seemingly content to leave it there for the time being.

“Pleasant. That’s one way to put it, I guess,” Tony huffed in return. He needed to have a nice long sit-down chat with Pepper if Justin Hammer, of all people, was capable of obtaining an invitation to a Maria Stark function. 

“Is he always that obnoxious?” Steve asked.

“Understatement,” Tony responded. 

Steve grinned and his arm tightened before releasing, his hand returning to its previous position at the small of Tony’s back before falling away entirely. Tony wasn’t sure he liked how much he immediately missed the warm weight of Steve’s arm around him. He momentarily wondered if it was worth the headache to actually seek out one of the assholes swarming this place, just to get Steve to put it back.

“So,” Tony started as they settled at the long bar to steal a few minute’s respite from mingling. “What did Nat say to convince you that this whole dog-and-pony show was a good idea?”

Steve stared at his drink as he swirled it around the glass, before looking up at Tony again. He eyed Tony thoughtfully before shrugging one shoulder. “Nothing too much,” he answered. “She just asked what my plans were for tonight. Told me that you were looking for a date to the Gala. I agreed.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, returning Steve’s stare for a long moment. “What else?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Steve responded blandly.

“She just asked you nicely and you agreed?” Tony asked, disbelief clear in his tone. “No Natasha-typical meddling or manipulation?”

“Nope,” Steve answered with a small, amused grin. “None of that.”

“Right,” Tony said, eyes scanning Steve’s for any hint, any indication, that the man wasn’t being entirely truthful. He was utterly confused when he found none. “What’s in it for you then?”

Steve tilted his head and then shook it with a short laugh. “You mean aside from the obvious?” he asked wryly.

“At this point I couldn’t even tell you what the obvious would be,” Tony admitted, sure that his confusion was clear in his voice, despite his best efforts.

“Well,” Steve said, drawing the word out slightly. “We’re here, you and I. No well-meaning friends running interference. I got more than a politely stilted greeting. And you’re pretty devastating in that tux, Tony, don’t know if you knew that. Sounds like a pretty good place to start to me.”

“Have you  _ seen _ yourself?” Tony said blankly, the only response he could cobble together that made the least bit of sense in the face of Steve’s words, which  _ didn’t _ make any sense at all.

To Tony’s surprise, a slight flush bloomed over Steve’s face, and he ducked his head to pretend to stare into his nearly empty glass again. Steve had presented himself as so entirely confident from the start, it was strange to see it falter now. 

Steve gathered his wits quickly and shot Tony a smirk. “Sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement then, doesn’t it?”

“So, you  —  what? Wanted a night out with Tony Stark?” Tony asked with a scowl.

“Yes,” Steve admitted easily. He grinned and shrugged one shoulder again. “I never really got the chance to talk to you much, even when we were at the same place. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our friends are meddlers to the worst degree. Nat, especially.”

“You wanted to?” Tony asked, blinking in surprise. He wasn’t remotely surprised that their mutual friends were meddlers, that was common knowledge as far as he was concerned. What interested him was that Steve looked decidedly put out at the lack of any opportunity to talk to Tony.

“Of course,” Steve said, setting his empty glass onto the bar and shuffling closer to Tony. “Natasha didn’t have to convince me of anything, Tony, and she damn well knew that.”

“Huh,” Tony mused. He cleared his throat awkwardly and tilted his head in question. “And now that you have?”

“Suppose now I’ve got that opportunity to ask you on a date,” Steve said, watching Tony intently. “Or, another one, I suppose.”

Before Tony could answer  —  a resounding  _ yes, _ for the record  —  they were interrupted by yet another sycophantic well-wisher. Tony had to bite down hard on his automatic reaction to scowl in distaste at the man. But Steve’s hand returned to his back, thumb sweeping broad strokes across it that somehow managed to help him keep up the polite facade that was required. 

When the interrupter finally made their way away, possibly to harass some other lucky guest, Tony immediately reached behind him, grabbing Steve’s hand. He shot Steve a sideways glance and used the hold to tug Steve along. 

“Come with me,” Tony said urgently, faltering briefly when Steve simply shifted his hand in Tony’s hold to lace their fingers together, and followed willingly. The fingers tangled in his tightened when Tony led their way out of the crowded banquet room and down the hall to the left.

The minutes that followed confirmed to Tony that this was easily the best Gala he had attended to date, and it certainly wasn’t how he had thought the evening would go. It was unexpected in its entirety, from start to... well, not exactly finish because it  _ still  _ wasn’t over yet. 

Tony grunted as his back met the conference room wall behind him, just a short ways away from the large banquet hall that hosted this year’s Gala. The noise was immediately muffled and swallowed down by the firm, urgent lips pressed against his own. His hands scrambled and gripped tightly at the rich material under his hands, tugging broad shoulders closer, automatically arching into the weight of Steve’s full body pinning him, one thick thigh wedged between both of Tony’s. 

Lips tore away from his, leaving Tony panting as they trailed heated, biting kisses over his jaw. Tony failed to bite back the low groan when a hand tight in his hair tilted his head back to continue the path down his throat. The combination of the hands on his hips, the grinding friction, and Steve’s lips against his skin was maddening, and quickly drove all coherent thought from Tony’s mind. The hand in his hair tightened its hold in response, and the heated kisses trailed up to his ear.

“Gotta keep quiet,” Steve reminded, voice low, rough and urgent. The sharp nip of teeth against the lobe had Tony shuddering, hips thrusting into Steve’s in an automatic response. Steve’s bitten-back groan on the stuttered exhale spurred Tony to do it again, intentionally rocking forward. Tony’s hands scrambled, moving from clinging to Steve’s shoulders to bury his fingers in his soft blond hair, tugging Steve’s head up again until Tony could reclaim his lips in a fierce kiss.

Heat worked up his spine and low in his belly as Steve met his grinding hips with his own, and they fell into an urgent rhythm that was mimicked in their kiss. 

Steve broke away, panting, but didn’t go far. His face was flushed bright and he watched Tony with a hungry look in his eyes. Tony tugged at his hair and Steve bit down on his own bottom lip to muffle the resulting groan. “Tony. Tony,” he panted, his tone nearly a whine. “Fuck, gotta stop. I’m  —  I’m going to ruin this tux.”

“I’ll buy you another one,” Tony responded immediately, absolutely unwilling to miss the chance to see Steve come undone and so, so very close himself. Steve huffed a strained laugh, even as his body began to tense against Tony’s and the bitten-back noises began to change in frequency and pitch.

There was a sudden, steady cadence of footsteps on the other side of the door just next to where Steve had Tony pinned. Steve’s eyes widened, meeting Tony’s, and Tony knew his own were much the same, widening further when Steve’s lips pressed firmly against his again. Steve’s large body shuddered against him with a hitched, stuttered breath and a small noise that sounded almost pained as he jerkily ground their pelvises together. The understanding of what had just happened hit Tony with all the erotic force of a freight train and shoved him head first over his own edge, coming hot and messy in his pants.

They panted against each other's lips for a long moment, Tony pinned between Steve’s weight and the wall behind them. They listened closely as the footsteps passed by the door and continued down the hall without pause. 

Tony has no idea which one of them moved from breathless, wide-eyed staring to laughter, and he didn’t particularly care for the specifics either. Because suddenly, they were laughing. Steve’s hands still clung tight to Tony’s hips, and Tony was gripping the back of Steve’s neck, and they were consumed with a strange bout of giggles. Tony tugged Steve down and smothered their laughter with a kiss that was a touch too much teeth, and Steve dove into it easily. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Tony murmured between kisses that, while lacking their earlier fevered urgency, quickly began to heat up again. He nipped at Steve’s bottom lip and soothed the sting with a teasing sweep of his tongue, hands dropping from Steve’s neck to wrap his fingers around the lapels of the tuxedo jacket. “I need you out of that, like, yesterday.”

Steve grinned against his lips and his hands slid from Tony’s hips to wrap snugly around his waist. “Oh?” Steve said coyly. “Here I thought you were the one insisting that I wear it.”

“And a very good decision on my part,” Tony quipped back. “I’ve outdone myself on good decisions this time. Go me. But now it needs to be gone, preferably decorating my bedroom floor.”

Steve kissed him soundly once more, and Tony had to admit that if this was how Steve Rogers always kissed, Tony was done for. It would be entirely too easy to become addicted to being kissed so thoroughly and confidently.

“One condition,” Steve said after he slowly broke away from the kiss, leaving Tony winded. 

“Name it,” Tony replied without hesitation.

“You let me take you to dinner,” Steve said. 

“Done,” Tony nodded in agreement. “Tomorrow night, six o’clock. Name the place and I’ll be there.” 

Steve smiled, warm and pleased, before sealing the deal with one more slow, lingering kiss that did nothing to cool the overboiling want that was consuming Tony. He broke away long enough to dig his phone out of his pocket, firing off a message to Happy to bring the car around. He nudged Steve back a few steps. Steve grimaced at how sticky his pants were, and how they clung to his legs., Tony could commiserate, but with any luck, they only had to deal with it a short while longer. He reached out to straighten the mussed blond hair into some semblance of order. It didn’t work, but Tony didn’t imagine he was in much better of a state.

With an amused shrug, Steve took his hand again, and they slipped quietly out of the conference room they had hidden themselves away in. Somehow, they managed to sneak out of the building entirely without being stopped. It wasn’t Tony’s typical luck but he wasn’t about to knock it. Steve shot him a sly grin, coupled with an overemphasized leer. Tony tried and failed to bite back the bolt of laughter that shot through him. Steve snickered and pulled him to a quicker pace. 

It might have been pushing midnight but Tony was no Cinderella. This night was far from over. And they both knew it.


End file.
